'Bond-Edge' explores the bondage of trauma

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GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - "Trauma is spiritual. It is woven into our subconscious and connects with our souls. Some trauma is hereditary, bonded through the umbilical cord, others attach to our inner being on our earthbound journeys."

So says choreographer Lilian Nabaggala during a discussion of the work Bond-Edge, a dance performance that was showcased to a select audience last weekend at the Market Community Theatre.

Professional dancers from the region, Amy-Kay Klaasen, Jaime-Lee Hine and Lynette du Plessis were chosen to collaborate with Nabaggala, an interdisciplinary artist based in Uganda, and Arafa Hamadi, a scenographer working in Tanzania and Kenya, to create a piece which will be performed later this month at the 50th celebration of the National Arts Festival (NAF) in Makhanda (Grahamstown).

PHOTO GALLERY - Bond-Edge performed at Market Community Theatre

This collaborative creative dance project called 'Third Space' is one of three funded by the NAF and the French Institute of South Africa (Ifas), with the embassy of France to South Africa, Malawi, and Lesotho.

For the last four weeks dancers and collaborators have been hard at work to create these pieces - one in George, one in Duncan Village in the Eastern Cape and one in Emakhazeni, Mpumalanga.

Bond-Edge has been described as a dance theatre piece that sheds light on the devastating impact of trauma on mental health in society.

Through a blend of expressive movements, storytelling and visual imagery, this performance reveals the intricate web of bondage that trauma weaves and its profound consequences on individuals and communities.

The piece relies solely on the artistry of movement to convey the profound impact of trauma. Compassion, understanding and solidarity from an entire community are key to a healing process.